The present invention relates to an audible circuit breaker/fuse finder for testing electrical circuits to determine which of a plurality of prewired circuits a particular circuit is connected and whether an outlet is live and safe.
When an electrician, construction worker, or home owner has to service or change an outlet or electrical device, it is a safe practice to shut-off the circuit breaker or fuse supplying power. When unmarked, finding the proper fuse or circuit breaker is time consuming and wastes the time of the electrician, especially when the electrician is working alone. In many cases, the fuse box or circuit breakers will be located at a considerable distance from the outlet of the circuit breaker being traced, even on a different floor of a building. This requires many trips back and forth between the outlet and fuse breaker box before the proper circuit is identified.
The Schmiemann U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,346 is an audible circuit tracer for indicating audibly the presence of electrical power in an outlet. The circuit is also placed in a cylindrical housing containing a step-down transformer, a full wave rectifier and a piezo-electric buzzer for sounding in the presence of electric power. In FIGS. 3 and 4, a cylindrical tester has a light socket for attaching thereto for testing power at the light socket and a female plug for connecting a pair of wires having alligator clips on the end thereof. The Jones U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,082 teaches a power failure warning circuit which is plugged into a receptacle and produces a distinctive warning when the power supply is reconnected. It uses a full wave rectifier and a speaker. The Stuecker U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,854 shows a lightbulb shaped audio signal emitter which can be attached into a lamp socket to emit an audio alarm signal when the lightbulb socket is energized. The Sheldon U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,283 shows an apparatus for detecting a complete electrical circuit in an electrical output receptacle and includes an audible alarm. In FIG. 4 of the drawings, an attachment is provided which plugs into the electrical plugs and has wires and alligator clips. The Schuyler U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,306 is a portable electrical line tester using audible tones to indicate voltage. Each of the two Peak U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,725,772 and No. 4,186,746 shows a circuit for determining the presence or absence of electrical power at a receptacle and each shows in one view the use of an electric lamp socket attachment and a female attachment having wires extending therefrom with alligator clips on the end thereof. None of these prior patents perform continuity or polarity tests.
The present invention provides a circuit siren in a small cylindrical hand-held plug-in test device which is combined with attachments to provide an audible multiple input voltage presence indicator and an audible circuit breaker fuse finder and an audible continuity tester and a standard 120 volt AC receptacle polarity ground visual indicator and an audible live telephone jack tester and an audible standard lightbulb socket voltage presence indicator and a 120 volt AC lightbulb socket and two wire system visual polarity indicator. The circuit has a high/low volume switch on it for desired sound output. The audible section enunciates on any voltage between 3-130 volts, AC or DC. Visual LED polarity lights are provided for diagnoses of standard 120 volt AC outlets but will operate within the voltage range of the circuit. The LED light functions in the circuit to provide an accurate polarity indication for two wire circuits as well as three wire circuits, which is important in connecting wires on typical light fixtures for connecting the fixture with the right polarity so that the outside of the electrical socket in the light fixture is not the portion of the light socket that is connected to the hot wire. With the circuit attached to a standard lightbulb socket with the power going to the socket, the LED lights will depict whether the light fixture has proper polarity or not when the grounding jumper is connected to the grounding adapter prong and a ground wire or metal chain on the fixture. The variable visual indicators are able to accept multiple voltages to indicate partial power situations in standard lightbulb sockets and receptacles. Loose or corroded connections can sometimes have only 70-80 volts at the typical lightbulb socket or receptacle so as not to allow a typical polarity indicator or lightbulb to light up.
An audible test circuit has a body having a plurality of prongs extending therefrom and having a plurality of lights thereon. A four way bridge rectifier circuit has a voltage steering circuit for producing a DC output voltage of known polarity located in the body and coupled to the plurality of prongs extending therefrom into the plurality of lights thereon to produce a visual indication of power to said bridge rectifier circuit on the polarity of the circuit being tested. An audible alarm, such an electronic transducer, is coupled to the four way bridge rectifier circuit for producing an audible alarm when power is applied to the rectifier circuit. The lamp attachment is removably attachable to the plurality of prongs for attaching the audible test circuit to a lamp socket for testing the lamp socket for power and polarity so that an audible test circuit gives an audible indication of power applied to the circuit and a visual indication of the plurality of the circuit. The audible test circuit may include a lamp socket-to-alligator clip attachment for removably attaching to the lamp attachment for coupling the alligator clip to the circuit. There is also a lamp socket-to-alligator clip attachment.